I was appalled when I came across the following Internet report in which Donald Trump is attributed to have said of John McCain that “He is not a war hero,” followed by “he isa war hero because he was captured.”

Trump reinforced his position as follows: “I like people that weren’t captured, OK? I hate to tell you. He is a war hero because he was captured. OK, you can have — I believe perhapshe is a war hero.”

Those comments were made in the mid-west at the Iowa Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa. Later today, after this monumental gaffe, Trump tried to walk back those comments.

I first noticed it late this spring: A tiny sprig of grass growing from one of 15 bags of garden soil piled up in the backyard, all destined to be spread out at the base of the English privets lining the northeast side of our lot.

Although the bags containing that soil are made of sturdy plastic, one of them somehow incurred a small cut somewhere along its voyage from initial packaging to the time that I plopped them all out back last fall.

That’s all that Mother Nature needed: a tiny opening in a bag full of rich garden soil, and she promptly went to work, taking advantage of the opportunity afforded her. Continue reading →

Greeted by the pastor and his congregants, this person sat among this group for an hour, as they read and discussed the meaning of selections from Holy Scripture and their daily application for each of them.

When the hour-long discussion period ended, this 21-year-old allegedly pulled out a .45 caliber handgun, hurled racial slurs at the peaceful assembly, then began shooting and reloading, killing nine of God’s faithful. Continue reading →

Although a lower court had previously ruled in favor of the New Jersey Education Association and its members to enforce a pension payment shortfall of $1.57 billion to be included in next year’s state budget, the Supreme Court reversed that decision upon direct appeal by the Christie administration.

In a 144-page opinion released this morning, N.J.’s highest court ruled “That the State must get its financial house in order. . . and that “the need (to do this) is compelling in respect of the State’s ability to honor its compensation commitment to retired employees.”Continue reading →

In a rare U.S. Senate session on Sunday, Rand Paul, the Republican senator from Kentucky unilaterally prevented that body from temporarily extending the Patriot Act which expired on the same day. Both the House of Representatives and President Obama had supported an extension.

Dome of the U.S. Capitol Building, from the steps of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Approval by Congress and the Administration to extend the Patriot Act would have allowed time for Congress to amend it or to write a new law to replace it, but Rand scuttled that proposal through procedural maneuvering.

He was criticized for that by his colleagues, many of whom simply walked out of the Senate Chamber when he rose to speak. Rand admitted that he will eventually lose his fight on this issue. Senator John McCain accused him of posturing to gain favor in his bid for the GOP Presidential nomination.

The Patriot Act was enacted shortly after the infamous Osama bin Laden-inspired 9/11 attacks on American soil.

Although a U.S. Court had struck down Section 215 of the Patriot Act which permitted the collection of telephone billing records by the National Security Agency, it nevertheless wisely permitted the U.S. Congress to extend the entirety of that law while working to revise it or to enact new legislation in cooperation with the White House.

After Rand obstructed Senate action, Obama’s Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, embarrassingly explained that U.S. Security Agencies will be employing “workaround tools” until this problem is resolved. He appeared unpersuasive, as he tried to assure the American people that homeland security will not be jeopardized during the interim. Continue reading →

Yesterday, the Courier News reported in a front-page article by Sergio Bichao that the Borough of Somerville settled a racial discrimination lawsuit for $1.75 million, while not admitting any wrongdoing.

A reading of that article coupled with a prior story on the same topic back on October 2, 2014, by Mike Deak, would lead most people to conclude that the alleged racist behaviors by Somerville personnel inflicted upon three African Americans under their supervision should have been fixed years ago. Continue reading →

This afternoon was the last day to take advantage of the VNA’s semi-annual rummage sale at the Fairgrounds in Far Hills. Twice yearly in the spring and fall, I religiously attend, browse around and enjoy the variety of people who are also there seeking bargains of their own.

Everyone has different tastes and a desire to pick up good buys. Mine is books. Because of my ever-growing library and the clear fact that I’ll never be able to read all of it, I almost passed up on the opportunity this year.

Then I realized that no one can possibly read all of the books that constitute a good private library, but that is not the point. Like good friends, one can never have too many in a lifespan, even though time and circumstances will take a person away from some of them. Continue reading →

If ever there was a dark horse in the GOP primary race for the presidency, it’s our very own governor Chris Christie. Although he does not fit within the strict meaning of that term, Christie is not generally considered to have much of a chance of garnering the nomination and, should he do so, even less of a chance of becoming president.

That is why I consider him a dark horse should he decide to run. However, those probabilities don’t concern me much, because I think that the country could use someone with his style in the upcoming debates.

There’s been too much phoniness in the last two presidential debates. Yet at least one person in those verbal exchanges was genuine and providential: Continue reading →

Governor Chris Christie’s favorability numbers in New Jersey have plummeted from their post second-election highs to their current lows. Yet, he continues to act like a contender in a crowded field struggling for position in the race for the GOP 2016 presidential nomination.

Whether he decides to run or not, he is unlikely to garner the Garden State’s vote in the 2016 general election against whomever the Democrats choose as their candidate for U.S. president.

New Jersey is a true-blue state, covered from nearly one end to the other with Democratic Party influence. Moreover, Christie’s entanglements with opponents to public sector pension reform have not endeared him to those committed to the status quo on this third-rail-of-politics issue – none of this comes as a surprise to Christie. Continue reading →

When I read this morning’s article by Mike Deak that emphasized the funding threat that faces home health care services such as those provided by the VNA of Somerset County (Visiting Nurses Association), I was appalled.

But it was no surprise.

When the Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama, Medicare became one of its first victims.

About this Blog

Bergeron writes about local, state & national topics, as well as other matters of interest.

About the Author

Dick BergeronDick is a 38-year resident of Bridgewater, where he served on its regional Board of Education. He hails from Massachusetts, graduated from Northeastern University and has worked in the defense electronics, computer, office equipment, and telecommunications fields. Now retired, he enjoys time with family, swimming, walking, taking graduate courses & seminars, reading, doing research, & working outdoors.E-mail Dick